I Realise That
by Bleach-ed-Na-tsu
Summary: Sometimes Tsuna thinks that people forget he isn't fourteen anymore. Then again, he realises that people just care about him and don't like seeing him betrayed or injured.


**So this is a bit impromptu. I've been meaning to write this for a few weeks, but I was without a laptop and so couldn't XD I hope you enjoy, and please don't be harsh, it's been a while since I've written, and this didn't go at all where I wanted.**

 **So Enjoy!**

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 **Beta'd by the marvelous Pure Red Cane.**

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 **I Realise That.**

 **Summary:** Sometimes Tsuna thinks that people forget he isn't fourteen anymore. Then again, he realises that people just care about him and don't like seeing him betrayed or injured.

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Tsuna looked at the phone buzzing in his pocket and sighed. He ducked behind a half-wall surrounding some strange loading dock as he swapped the clips around and answered the call. He was using his favourite gun, a comfortable one bought for him by Lal and Colonello once they passed him on his gunmanship in his early teens. He had just tucked the phone into his shoulder as he stood and reloaded when more bullets flew around him, all intending to more than injure him.

"Yes, Reborn?" Tsuna asked smoothly, eyeing up his targets and aiming. "I'm a little busy."

The line buzzed slightly, meaning that Tsuna wasn't in the best of places if he wanted a rescue. The chip that was undoubtedly in his phone and somewhere in his body probably wasn't getting signal either, which was the reason Reborn was calling and wasn't coming to get Tsuna yet, apparently.

"I can tell. Sounds like you're having fun." Reborn muttered darkly. "Want to share why you were stupid enough to leave the house without a playmate from your own house? I thought Xanxus and I drilled the importance of 'always having someone as a look out' into your head by now, especially when you in an untraceable zone." This time Reborn's voice dropped to a growl. "You are important to us. You need to stop taking risks."

"I realise that, Reborn." Tsuna sighed, changing clips and pulling back the chuck of his gun to reload. "I'm not fourteen anymore."

Reborn just chuckled dryly. "That I know. You were never this snarky, Dame-Tsuna." Tsuna could mutely hear doors and chatter around Reborn on the other end of the line. It seemed that his famiglia were gathering the war-machines.

Really, it wasn't even _that_ bad.

"So want to explain why you went to God knows where without an escort?" Reborn was purring, which was not a good sign. Tsuna really hoped that between now and the time in which Reborn arrived with back up no one dared cross the hitman. He was always volatile when Tsuna was isolated and alone.

"Here's the thing." Tsuna started, cussing when he was blindsided by an enemy rushing him. He tucked and rolled, four bullets finding home in the man's flesh. Tsuna really couldn't wait to find out who these fools were. "I had an escort, one of the V-C's. An approved, before you get bitchy." Tsuna snapped, he hissed as a bullet found a place too close to his arm. "Thing is, when we got here, he trapped me here as his friends descended."

Where Reborn was, surrounded by the Varia and Vongola upper echelon, the room suddenly went cold. Everyone turned as Reborn's voice dropped an octave. "Oh? And where is this _traitor_?"

Hushed whispers scattered the room. Tsuna hated the world traitor. It was cold. It was final. He hated to think of anyone being such a coward and so insincere as to betray the family they had built. Reborn knew this, and didn't use the word, whatever had happened must have been pretty bad for him to bring out the 'bad words' without repentance.

With a grunt a bullet found home in Tsuna's shoulder and he was forced into HDW. His flames burst sporadically, stunted by whatever was set into the floor of this town. This was a long-time coming, this trap, and if Tsuna weren't bleeding he would be impressed. "Took himself out as soon as his friends arrived. Cyanide tooth as far as I can tell from here."

Reborn growled and the room shivered. "Where?"

"South of the docks, be careful though-!"

Tsuna could only stare for a second at the ruins of his phone, cursing as he spun away and tried to find somewhere to hunker down. The bullet went straight through his upper arm, but he should really wrap it up.

Tsuna hated traitors, and he hated being shot. He couldn't wait to find out what famiglia had booked themselves a visit from Mukuro and Kyouya, and probably Xanxus too. No one liked it when Tsuna was trapped and wounded, not just Reborn. Tsuna was feeling vindictive too, so he would let his most volatile have free reign of punishment.

That phone was brand new, and Tsuna hated wasting money on such frivolous necessities.

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Reborn took a deep breath as Tsuna's voice died away. He knew that Tsuna hadn't hung up. The idiot student wasn't that much of an idiot. Still, that meant the tentative tracking they had on Tsuna was gone, and Reborn wasn't about to let it stand.

"We have a direction. We're heading to the south docks, and have a sun on hand." The barely heard growls from around him would have pleased Reborn any other time. Sometimes it was nice to be in a group of highly possessive people, then no one could tell exactly how far he was willing to go for his own.

"Fucking vermin." Kyouya was snarling as he left the room, sweeping out with his cloud squad like the clouds he personified. It was terrifying and fascinating.

"Come on, cow-boy. Time to get our brother back." Hayato muttered, taking rein on the group with his Boss out of sorts. Lambo nodded, eyes open and stern. Hayato nodded and people started filing out. While Kyouya would be enough, they needed at least the Guardians to look for Tsuna, after all. There was a lot of space 'south of the docks'.

Reborn watched everyone leave. He noted who Hayato and Squalo sent off to stand-by and was pleased. Those boys were good at their job, especially when Xanxus liked to do fuck with all of the little things, and Tsuna needed a strong second he could count on.

Speaking of Xanxus though.

Throwing a hand out across the Liger's chest was probably a stupid move for most, but the man's red eyes simply scorched down to Reborn's dark brown eyes with the kind of arrogant asking that came from respect on both parties.

"The fuck do you want?" Xanxus's voice always sounded like a purr. It was a good tell about his mood. He wasn't stressing out about Tsuna needing medical assistance, which meant he was clear of head. Perfect. "Mini-boss is bleeding out in some corner. You'd think his tutor would be scrambling with the Decimo-trash to bring him home and cuddle him." Xanxus' smirk was easy, he wasn't worried too much, but he was concerned, he cared for Tsuna and knew a boss when he was under one.

It had taken years to get to this point, which was why Reborn knew it was smart to let everyone else leave before releasing this next bomb.

"Clean house, Xanxus." he muttered, low and gentle so he didn't rile the beast, and so he didn't embarrass Xanxus before any prying ears. "The one who led Tsuna into this mess and abandoned him through cyanide was one of your clouds."

Any normal person, upon feeling the spike of heat and the wave of bloodlust from beside them would have flinched back as if wounded. They would have whined and screamed. They would have called Xanxus a demon.

But Reborn was neither a normal person, nor a monster. He had gained respect for the Ninth's youngest son, adopted or not. Years with Tsuna as a measure and a buffer had soothed the man into something fine and sharp. He and Tsuna battled it out to keep themselves sharp, never letting their blades dull or their fires rot. Reborn knew this rage. It was self-inflicted and meant Reborn no harm. He would not do a disservice to Xanxus and flinch away. He trusted the man.

Just as Reborn trusted Xanxus to go clean house while Reborn brought _their_ sky home.

So Reborn knew he didn't need to say anything else when the rage died away and the smell of rage flames replaced it. The heat was intense and it made Reborn shiver. With a pat on the man's shoulder, Reborn was stalking out and grabbing the motorbike left for him outside –Takeshi really was so thoughtful, he knew exactly what Reborn wanted. Xanxus would sort himself out. He always did.

What would life had been if the Ninth asked Reborn to train Xanxus as well as his heir?

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As expected, it was Hayato who found Tsuna first. He and Lambo –as well as their few grunts– were wiping the floor with the famiglia that had dared overstep their welcome in Italy. And though they were Italian, the Iena would not be allowed within Italian borders after tonight. Vongola took it personally when they were infiltrated, but they were murderous when a famiglia had the nerve to trap their Boss within anti-dying will walls.

But Reborn knew his boys were good, so he continued on, following the path of bodies and watching for the sign of Tsuna's flames. He was surprised to see such weird arrangements, but then again, even Reborn's flames were being drained here, and it was getting worse the further he walked.

Reborn would never be gladder that Tsuna had a monstrous supply of flames which he could control so well. Any other man but an Arcobaleno, or Tsuna, would have trouble even lightning a flame within this maze of suppressant. Reborn imagined that even Xanxus would feel woozy and sleepy in here. More so than usual anyway.

"Clean up well, boys. I'll go get your brother."

"Yare, Tsuna-nii is such hard work."

"Shut up little brat, you're not one to talk. Juudaime puts up with you, you can put up with him."

"Obviously, octopus-head!"

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It didn't take long for Reborn to find Tsuna. The patches of fire were becoming more erratic as he drew deeper into the maze of crates. All the same, the flames were powerful, but Reborn's concern was the blood splattered around and the silence.

Of course, with one final turn, Reborn came across Tsuna, leaning against a wall with half-closed eyes. Sighing through his nose, Reborn crouched. Tsuna's eyes opened and he sighed, shifting so Reborn could see the damage properly. It wasn't too bad, straight through and blood everywhere. He would be in a sling for a while. Still, Reborn tightened the knot of Tsuna's make-shift bandage. He had been wearing Reborn's favourite colour and style on him, such a shame that the shirt was ruined. "You really are too much work, Dame-Tsuna."

And really, he had been thinking of healing Tsuna when they were past the stone that was stunting their flames, but then Tsuna had to turn on that cheeky grin he had picked up from Bel. "Well, I realise that, but you couldn't do without me."

 _No_ , Reborn thought as he smirked. He would let Tsuna suffer through the stitches. He tightened the knot even further for good measure, ignoring the way Tsuna squawked.

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It was sometimes fucking hilarious just how much the Varia personified a pride of big cats. And not the same big cats: panthers, ocelots, Ligers. They had them all. When Xanxus walked into Tsuna's 'hospital' room, just after Tsuna had gotten his stitches, he looked like a cat with a canary. In his hand was a stack of badges. He grinned with blood thirst as he chucked them at Tsuna.

"I got the house cleaned, Trash. Fucking trash sullying my name and daring to move against you. Didn't know it had gotten so bad."

It didn't take a genius to notice, but the casual observer would miss it. Xanxus was moping, angry at himself and his boys for letting so many –even _one_ – traitor to get into their ranks. He was even angrier that he hadn't been there to slaughter and make a name of the traitor's family.

It hurt his pride, almost as much as apologizing in his roundabout way did.

Tsuna smiled that bright, brilliant smile of his. This one that he gave only to his closest. This wasn't the smile that swayed enemies, or crushed the resolves of those who went against him. This wasn't the smile that he gave in the interrogation chamber when he was pulling secrets from the back pockets of the crazed. This was the smile he gave to the inner circle, to remind them of all they gave him, and all they needed from him.

"I realise that, Xanxus." Tsuna smiled, standing and stretching. The stitches were going to be annoying, but one great thing about being a HDW user –especially a sky– was how quickly you healed. "Thank you, though. I'm sure your men are scrambling."

Xanxus smiled then, and everyone in the room could see the shoulders unbunch even as he watched Tsuna move normally. "You'd think so, but the ones that are left seem rather relaxed. Something about being happy with so few voices yapping around the mansion."

"Oh?" Tsuna grinned, cheeky and wild like the boy's true nature. "Perhaps they need something fun to do then?"

Laughter bounced in Tsuna's face and Xanxus leaned against a wall, interested, jittering at the honour he was about to be given. He was even happier when he could see Mukuro all but pouting in the corner for not being allowed to go. "What do you have in mind?"

"I think someone needs to pay a visit to the Iena. Mind taking a party and laying down some heat?"

Xanxus just smirked and pushed himself off the wall. He sauntered to the door. "Of course, Mini-boss. I'll even bring a few back so your Cloud and Mist can have some fun."

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 **I know this may seem rushed, and that's because it is. I am exhausted and jet lagged and need to stay awake. As said before, this also didn't go where I wanted it to.**

 **So Please review, and thank you!**

 **~~Bleach-ed-Na-tsu :3**


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